A priest who has spent his life in the Diocese of Scranton, and the last six months learning to lead it, will become the 10th bishop of Scranton.

The Vatican announced Tuesday that Monsignor Joseph C. Bambera, a Carbondale native, will assume leadership of the 11-county diocese. Monsignor Bambera will become bishop at a time of significant challenges, including financial strain, changing parishes and lingering feelings of loss and uncertainty among many parishioners.

On Tuesday, as he spoke for the first time as bishop-elect during a press conference at the Guild building, Monsignor Bambera drew on his experience as a native son and pastor to summon a message of hope.

"I think our goal right now is really to move forward, based on the struggles we've experienced and based on the hard work that's been done thus far," he said. "I know from my own personal experience that the Lord is deeply rooted in the people of this diocese."

Monsignor Bambera will be ordained and installed as the bishop of Scranton at a Mass in St. Peter's Cathedral on April 26. He will become only the second diocesan native to head the 11-county see.

For the past six months, Monsignor Bambera has run the daily operations of the diocese as the local delegate to interim leader Cardinal Justin Rigali, archbishop of Philadelphia and metropolitan for the province that includes Scranton.

Cardinal Rigali will continue as apostolic administrator of the diocese, a post he assumed on Aug. 31 when the Vatican accepted Bishop Joseph F. Martino's retirement, until Monsignor Bambera's installation.

At the press conference on Tuesday, Cardinal Rigali sat to the left of Monsignor Bambera, while Bishop Emeritus James Timlin, retired Auxiliary Bishop John Dougherty and clergy, parishioners and other supporters stood at the back of the room.

Bishop Martino, who was not at the event, has been out of the state in recent months, teaching at the St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver.

After he introduced the future bishop, Cardinal Rigali noted "the splendid qualities" that Pope Benedict XVI recognized in Monsignor Bambera, "which we're beginning to see now in an even closer way."

Invoking the image of the shepherd, Cardinal Rigali noted that among all the "noble responsibilities" of the office, a bishop is "primarily called to pastor the people of God with the heart of Jesus Christ."

Monsignor Bambera is known among colleagues and friends as being, foremost, pastoral. They view those same gifts as being crucial to the health of the future church in the region.

"He has already exhibited such an openness and such an approachability to both the clergy and the people of the diocese," said Joseph K. Grieboski, a Scranton native who runs the Institute on Religion and Public Policy in Washington, D.C. "I think that's one of the things that after the last few years the diocese really, really needs."

Monsignor Joseph Quinn, a diocesan priest serving as vice president for University Mission and Ministry at Fordham University, said Monsignor Bambera is "the right choice at the right time.

"He is what the Diocese of Scranton needs at this very juncture," he said. "And we should all feel very blessed to have such a good and generous and selfless priest of God become our chief shepherd."

On Tuesday, Monsignor Bambera likened his new role to the pastorate of a "much, much larger parish" and he gave some indication of how he will lead it.

Asked if he might change some of Bishop Martino's much-discussed decisions to close or consolidate parishes and schools, he said he does not "believe there will really be a place to revisit those things," in part because it was a project of so many people and often had positive results.

He said his role as bishop will include ensuring that the principles of Catholic doctrine are observed in the four Catholic universities in the diocese - a point of contention between Bishop Martino and the universities - but that will be done best by "dialoguing with those universities and working with them."

He went further to say he finds "great value in dialogue" and hopes to be "as open as possible" to conversation with many groups.

"I've learned from my experience as a pastor and also over the last six months that there is a wealth of knowledge that we derive one from another," he said. "There's a wisdom that comes from many and sometimes unexpected places."

Some groups who have been at odds with the diocese over issues in recent years said Tuesday they were heartened to hear Monsignor Bambera express a willingness to listen.

Anthony Foti, a member of a foundation in Wilkes-Barre that has been working to save Sacred Heart church from closing, said he is encouraged by the appointment of Monsignor Bambera as bishop.

"We're looking at this as an opportunity to start the healing process in the diocese," he said.

Michael Milz, the head of the diocesan teachers union whose recognition was withdrawn by the diocese, said he is "excited" at the appointment and wrote a letter to Monsignor Bambera on Tuesday.

The two had a meeting in October during which Monsignor Bambera was "open," Mr. Milz said. "Certainly, that was refreshing. Hopefully, he'll remain open to discuss the differences that are there."

One group expressed opposition to the appointment of the new bishop.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests issued a statement saying Bishop-elect Bambera was a "poor choice" and an "insult" based on testimony he gave during a 2007 sexual abuse case when he said a priest was allowed to return to a parish after admitting to sexually assaulting two boys and undergoing counseling. The priest then abused a third child.

Diocesan spokesman William Genello called the accusations "unfair" and said Bishop-elect Bambera "followed all the protocols that were in place at the time to deal with incidents of this nature."

At the press conference, Bishop-elect Bambera repeatedly acknowledged the challenges he knows will confront him in his new post.

He also said he assumes the role with "deep humility," and then quoted words that a predecessor bishop once inscribed on a prayer card: "God writes straight with crooked lines."

"I don't think that anybody ever thinks that they are fit for or worthy of a job like this," he said. He added that he must trust "that the Lord who gets you into it will carry you through."

Contact the writer: llegere@timesshamrock.com

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19 posted comments

new pastor for st thomas should be monsignor patrick pratico. like the new bishop he is a native=archbald/vvhs. and they love him up the eynon.

I just saw an interview that Channel 16 did with the Bishop Elect, he said more or less that WE the faithful just need to be happy and thankful with what we have,and appreciate the NEW parish's and school's......So, In a nutshell don't expect any thing to change, everything that was closed will remain so, even though the faithful do not want it.... and as everyone knows since the closings over the last three years, the diocese has gone into the red. Sure you don't want to re think this Bishop Elect??? WHAT A CROCK THE CHURCH IS.!!!

Monsignor Bambera is a good man and will help create a better image for the Diocese of Scranton. He is kind, thoughtful, and has good interpersonal communication skills as well as high emotional intelligence. I wish him the best of luck in his new role as Bishop. I know he will do well because he knows how to connect with the people. His charisma and leadership will bring about new hope, peace, and inspiration for the Diocese.

If the diocese is to move forward, current key administrators need to be shown the door, like Chancellor James Earley and Monsignor Vincent Grimalia. I believe those people helped to corruptly influence Retired Bishop Joseph Martino. Beware, if these men are permitted to remain in place, we're going to face the same inside challenges..... secret deals, ignorance and lack of concern for those in the pews bankrolling the operation.

The Pope should finally connect with the 20th Century .... not live in the 13th as he does now .....Priests should be allowed to marry, divorced should be allowed to receive Sacraments .... Married Priests make Happier Priests and less abuse ...

I do hope this man can help the church now as it stands.So many of us went astray with Bishop Martino and his closed door policies. Hopefully people will be able to communicate with Bishop Bambera and even if things do not go our way (keeping schools and churches and the like) we will at least get some answers and at least feel we tried not like what martino did with Sacred Heart in Carbondale wanted the pledges that the kids got to keep the school open and then have the gall to ask the people to pay up to reduce the debt. The money was to keep the school not close it!!

Asked if any of the moves made under Martino would be reversed, Bambera said it was unlikely. “Those decisions were made after a significant amount of effort and energy” by Martino, his staff, and many parishioners, Bambera said. “To revisit those – as difficult as this may seem – would really be to dismiss the hard work and vision that surfaced from so many of our people as they struggled with the questions of how to maintain a sense of viability in our churches and our schools.”

It just goes to show you that no matter what, the church knew from Day 1 what they were doing, it didn't matter who was here, or who will come next, the changes that the majority of the faithful was so against and still carried out anyway, will continue. It was a farce from Day 1, the faithful were misled, they were tricked into many areas, they were told untruths, the MASTER PLAN had been in place long before martino's arrival, he just went thru the motions and began those changes. I feel the catholic church could actually care less about the faithful, they are more worried about their own self presevation of power. How can you possibly, when something that they did upset so many people,not be revisted??? It's amazing and stunning that even though the proof is in the pudding, about how wrong they were about closing the school's and church's,they WILL NOT CHANGE it. So no matter just because time,energy,money was wasted and involved in bad decisions,they won't be reversed..That is so terribly wrong not only from a business sense, but from a common sense approach. So, what does that tell you??? People you are just wasting your time and money by continuing to support and believe in this hypocrite organization.

I am happy to hear that our bishop elect is continuing the consolidations of the churches. Why stop now. Sure these few other churches could be spared. But why should they. I lost my church as well as others who were on the list. Just because they decided to have the closing dates later in the calendar. Lets start fresh with the new churches and then see what is going on. No changing three quarters of the way through

Who cares what guy lives at the cathedral and wears a funny hat? Pay more attention to Jesus, and it won't matter who the bishop is. Catholics are way to hung up on popes, bishops, and priests, that it seems that Jesus is lost in all of it. Time to get back to the basics.